Kitchen-utility units



April 16, 1968 G. 1 c. EARLE 3,378,324

KITCHEN-UTILITY UNITS Filed March 20, 1967 s Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR GUVON L. C. EARLE April 16, 1968 G. C/EARLE KITCHEN-UTILITY UNITS 5 Sheets-Sheet Filed March 20, 1967 /Nl ENTOR GUVON L. C. EARLE G. c. EARLE 3,378,324

KITCHEN-UTILITY UNITS A ril 16, 1968 lNl/EN TOR G'UVON L. C. EARLE United States Patent 3,378,324 KITCHEN-UTILITY UNITS Guyon L. C. Earle, 1.16 E. 63rd St., New York, N.Y. 10021 Filed Mar. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 624,518

Claims. (Cl. 312278) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The principal embodiment is a kitchen-utility unit of the L-shaped type having a table-top member over a lower portion and in front of an intermediate portion and employing one or more pull-out units having rollers which ride out overthe table-top member and are at least partially supported therefrom. Additional support can be provided from other parts of the intermediate portion. The table-top member can have a turned-up member which is located closely adjacent to and behind the rollers in their most rearward position.

This invention relates to the type of appliance used in kitchen or utility rooms and more specifically to L-s-h-aped kitchen-utility units [having 'WOI'k tops associated with them. 1

It is a primary object of this invention to utilize the work top as a supporting member for various pull-out portions of an L-s'haped kitchen-utility unit.

In a number of patents of the present inventor, set-back or L-s'haped kitchen or utility room units are disclosed. In each of these structures there is a lower or base cabinet, an intermediate set-back cabinet positioned above and to the rear of the base cabinet, a table-top member above the portion of the base cabinet in front of the intermediate cabinet and an upper cabinet positioned above the intermediate cabinet. These units save much space in the kitchen or utility room since the intermediate setback cabinets make use of wall space which is usually wasted. In one of these Earle patents (No. 2,893,807, issued July 7, 1959), there is disclosed an arrangement of the L-shaped or set-back type employing a stove or burner compartment in the intermediate set-back cabinets. In still another of these Earle patents (No. 2,708,350, issued May 17, 1955 there is disclosed an arrangement of this type having a dish drying compartment in the intermediate section.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved and efficient L-shaped appliance employing as a part thereof a stove or burner compartment in the setback cabinet which includes a plurality of movable burners, and/ or a dish drying compartment in the set-back cabinet which includes at least one pull-out utensil supporting member.

Several new appliances are on the market which feature movable burners. In one of these, the burners are on a shelf which pulls out when it is desired to use the back burners. In another the burners drop down over a work top and are hinged to be pushed back up when not in use. In none of these arrangements is a work top utilized for support.

It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide a movable-burner unit which does not have these disadvantages.

It is still another, and very important, object of this invention to provide a movable burner unit which has afront splash there-on, the burner unit being supported at least partially from a work top in front of it.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a somewhat similar splash and support for a dish dryer and/or drainer unit.

The above and related objects are attained in accordance with the invention by providing in a ki-tchenutility unit of the L-shaped type, of the general configuration of the earlier patented Earle units described above, and including as in these earlier units a relatively long table top member, a burner compartment which employs at least one burner box which rolls out a few inches over the back of the table-top member when in use but is pushed back in the burner compartment when it is not being utilized, and a drainer-dryer compartment which employs one or more similarly supported pull-out units. Each of these compartments is provided with an overhead door which may be closed when the pull-out units are pushed back into their respective compartments. When a pull-out member is in the closed position, one or more supporting rollers which ride on the table-top member and are positioned close-1y adjacent to the splash, are also positioned closely adjacent and in front of the turned-up rear edge of the table-top member. This turned-up edge prevents seepage of liquid into any of the various cabinets behind the table-top member. Support for the pull-out units is provided partially by the rollers which roll onto the tabletop unit and partially by other means (such as additional rollers) from the bottom and sides of the various compartments within which they are located.

The construction of the table top member in association with the movable units having splash members on the front thereof and' roller support from both bottom and side makes possible a very strong support for the pull-out members, and the prevention of liquids splashing back into the units behind and below the table-top member. When in the closed (most rearward) position, the various splash members line up in such a manner that a streamlined appearance is presented and there is ample work space in front of the pull-out uni-ts.

- The invention will be more readily understood by refer-ring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of an appliance in accordance with the invention, all of the various cabinets thereof being shown in the closed position;

FIG. 2 is'a front perspective view of the appliance of FIG. 1, with certain of the cabinets thereof being shown in the open position and sections of the movable splash member thereof being shown in a forward position over the table-top member of the appliance;

FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken through the burner compartment of the arrangement of FIGS. 1 and 2, the burner unit being pushed back into the compartment; and

FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 except that the burner unit is pulled forward and the movable splash member is shown in a forward position.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 show, by way of example, an appliance 10 of the kitchen or utility room type which is constructed in accordance with the invention. The appliance 10 is preferably of the L-shaped or set-back type, that is, one in which the front surfaces of the intermediate portion 11 and of the upper portion 12 thereof are placed to the rear of (or set-back from) the front surface of the lower portion 13 of the appliance unit 16. The lower portion 13 comprises a sink 14 and various cabinets 15. The intermediate portion 11 comprises a dish drainer and dryer cabinet 16 and a burner compartment 17. The upper portion 12 comprises a number of shelved cabinets 13. A table-top member 19 having a cut-out portion for the sink 14 is placed above the lower portion 13 and in front of the intermediate portion 11. The whole unit preferably rests on a recessed base 20. The unit 10' is made of stainless steel and/or other suitable material. If desired, the lower portion 13 may embody one or more of various other appliances, such as a refrigerator, stove, clothes washer or dryer, and the like, as shown in various patents of the present inventor. For more details of L-shaped kitchen units having the general configuration of the arrangements of FIGS. 1 and 12, reference is made to Earle Patent No. 2,349,541, issued May 23, 1944, and the other Earle patents identified above.

The burner compartment 17 is provided with movable burner boxes 21 and 22 having a plurality (four are shown in FIG. 2 but a greater or lesser number can be used as desired) of burners 23, 24, 25 and 26, preferably of the drop-in type. They may be either electric or gas. For simplicity in the drawings, the electric leads or gas tubings have not been shown. The burner boxes 21 and 22 are adapted to be pulled out a few inches (see FIG. 4) when it is desired to use the burners and to be pushed back into the compartment (see FIG. 3) when they are not in use or when it is desired to use them within the compartment.

The front surfaces of the burner boxes 21 and 22 are provided with splashes 27 and 28 which are on a line with splashes 33 and 34 of the dryer compartment 16. The splashes 27 and 28 have burner controls 29, 30, 31 and 32 and handles 35 and 36 by means of which the burner boxes can be pulled in and out while being supported by means now to be described. The lower edges of the splashes are located slightly above the table-top member 19.

An important feature of the present invention is the manner in which the pull-out units are sturdily supported as they are pulled in or out in a forwardly and rearwardly direction. Referring now specifically to FIGS. 3 and 4, a portion of the support for the unit 21 is provided by front rollers 40 which ride on the table-top member 19 at all times, thus preventing any up and down movement of the burner boxes. The rear and side support for the burner box 21 is provided, merely by way of example, by one or more rollers 41 which ride in a rail 42 on a side of the cabinet 16 (one side rail for each burner box). Thus the combination of rollers 40 and 41 and rails 42 in conjunction with the table-top member provides a Well supported front-and-rearward movement only, without wobble, tilt or sidewise movement. The additional support for the box 21 could be from the bottom of the compartment 17 rather than from the side, if desired.

The compartment 17, in which the burner boxes 21 and 22 ride in and out, is provided with an insulated back wall 43 (which may project back a few inches into the wall of the room to give more depth to the compartment), an insulated top 44 having a vent 45 therein leading to a fine, and a bottom 46 which may be provided with a series of openings over an air inlet (not shown). The compartment is closed by an overhead door 47 which is pivoted and counterweighted (by any suitable means).

The door 47 is shown in the closed position in FIG. 3 and in the open position in FIG. 4. The door 47 is adapted to be a few degrees to the horizontal, sloping forwardly, in the open position, so that it acts as a deflecting means for any hot air and gases issuing from the burners.

The rear of the table-top member 19 has a turned-up portion or equivalent member 48 which is closely adjacent a turned-up flange 49 on the front wall of the intermediate cabinet 17. This turned-up portion 48 prevents liquid leakage from the table top into the cabinet 17. The member 48 is so positioned that the roller 40 is closely adjacent to and just in front of the turned-up member when the pull-out unit 21 is in the closed position, as shown in FIG. 3.

The units 50 and 51 of the cabinet 16 are adapted to be used for the holding of dishes for draining and drying and may hold racks and draining platforms for dishes and other utensils. The unit 50 is adapted to be pulled out like the units 21 and 22 and a similar roller and supporting mechanism can be used as described above. The unit 51, however, which is in back of the sink 14 is preferably stationary. A handle 52 is provided for moving the unit 50 forwardly and rearwardly. The unit 50 is provided with the front splash member 33 and the unit 51 is provided with the front splash member 34 which in their rearward position are in line with the splashes 27 and 28 of the cabinet 17. The splash 34 has provision for a faucet 55 and controls 56 for the sink unit. If desired a flue member may be rovided for the cabinet 16 as in the case of cabinet 17.

It will be apparent that the appliance 10 as described here has a number of advantages. Due to the depth of the compartments 16 and 17 (because of their possible projection into the wall of the room) some cooking and drying can be done without moving the burner boxes or drying units forward, if desired. These operations can even be accomplished with the overhead doors 47 closed. In any event the movement forward need not be more than a few inches, thus providing valuable work table space in front of the burners and dish draining and drying supports. The compartments 16 and 17 can be used in a complete appliance 10 as shown or in units where either but not both types of cabinets 16 and 17 are provided. As pointed out above, the base cabinets and upper cabinets may be portions of other units such as dish washers, refrigerators, stoves, etc. Furthermore, because of the arrangement for supporting the pull-out units there is 'a minimum of wobble, tilt and sidewise movement and a positive support at all times. Furthermore, because of the turned-up portion at the back of the table-top member practically no water or other liquid seeps into the intermediate cabinets.

It will be obvious that various changes can be made in the embodiments described above without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the claims. In the claims the term cabinet is intended to include any kitchen appliance of the type described herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A kitchen-utility unit comprising a lower or base cabinet, an intermediate set-back cabinet positioned above and to the rear of said base cabinet, a long stationary table-top member above the portion of the base cabinet in front of said intermediate cabinet, a splash member back of and above said table-top member, said splash member comprising a plurality of parts spaced along the length of said table-top member, an upper cabinet positioned above said intermediate cabinet, said intermediate cabinet having a movable pull-out unit therein, said pullout unit having a splash member on the front thereof which forms a part of the splash member back of said table-top member and is in line with other parts thereof when all of said parts are in their most rearward position, and means at least partially supported from said table-top member for confining the movement of said pull-out unit to a forward and rear movement over the rear portion of said table-top member only, said movement being limited so ample table-top space is provided in front of said pull-out unit even when said pull-out unit is in the forward position.

2. The combination of elements as in claim 1 in which said table-top member has a turned-up edge in the rear portion thereof.

3. The combination of elements as in claim 1 in further combination with means for also supporting said pull-out unit from said intermediate cabinet.

4. The combination of elements as in claim 1 in further combination with means for also supporting said pull-out unit from a side of said intermediate cabinet.

5. The combination of elements as in claim 1 in which said pull-out unit is a burner box.

6. The combination of elements as in claim 1 in which said pull-out unit contains a carrier for utensils.

6 7. The combination of elements as in claim 1 in which in which said last-mentioned means comprises a track said table-top member has .a cut-out portion for a sink. on the side wall of said cabinet and a roller on the pull- 3. A combination of elements as in claim 1 in which out unit which rolls in said track.

said supporting means includes a roller.

9. A combination of elements as in claim 1 in which References (:ited said supporting means includes a roller and said table-top UNITED STATES PA ENTS member has a turned-up portion in the rear thereof which,

I 2,882,382 4/1959 Woxman 126-37 1n the most rearward pos1t1on of said pull-out member, 2 893 807 7/1959 Earle is behind and closely adjacent to said roller. g 10/1962 Peck 312 279 10. The combination of elements as in claim 1 in 10 3,2QQ:808 55 S ift 12 37 further combination with means for also supporting said pull-out unit from a side of said intermediate cabinet, JAMES T. MCCALL, Primary Examiner. 

